There are not many salads I will eat without a dressing because, well, salad without dressing feels like chomping down on a pile of dry leaves. I prefer my salad leaves to be anything but dry and boring. That’s why I absolutely fell in love with the idea of a hot salad and char grilling is the way to go!
If you are looking for something hearty and warm, but still gives you that crunch you crave from veggies, I highly recommend making this salad immediately! Not to mention, the bite of a slightly charred bell pepper paired with the creamy yet tangy hunks of half melted goat cheese. This feels like you are eating anything but a healthy keto salad. Mushrooms are also slightly charred to give a lovely umami flavor. You will be wondering why you ever ate any other salad and how you can char more veggies and eat hot salads every day until the end of time.
Here’s how you can make that possible with very little effort: keep goat cheese and some seeds on hand so you can make the cheese rounds ahead of time and keep them in the fridge. Once you are ready to grill your veggies you can pull out a few medallions and be eating a delicious fried goat cheese salad in under two minutes. If you happen to live near a super market that sells the “everything but the bagel” seasoning, it’s a perfect swap for the crust on the fried goat cheese! How simple is that?
Yields 2 single servings of Charred Veggie and Fried Goat Cheese Salad
The Preparation
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon onion flakes
- 1 teaspoon garlic flakes
- 4 ounces goat cheese, cut into 4 ½ in thick medallions
- 1 medium red bell pepper, seeds removed & cut into 8 pieces
- ½ cup baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cups arugula, divided between two bowls
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
The Execution
1. Combine the poppy and sesame seeds, onion, and garlic flakes in a small dish.
2. Coat each piece of goat cheese on both sides. Plate and place in the refrigerator until you are ready to fry the cheese.
3. Prepare a skillet with nonstick spray and heat to medium. Char the peppers and mushrooms on both sides, just until the pieces begin to darken and the pepper softens. Add to the bowls of arugula.
4. Place the cold goat cheese in the skillet and fry on each side for about 30 seconds. This melts quickly so be gentle as you flip each piece!
5. Add the cheese to the salad and drizzle with avocado oil. Serve warm!
This makes 2 servings of Charred Veggie and Fried Goat Cheese Salad. Each serving comes out to be 350 Calories, 27.61 g Fat, 7.08 g Net Carbs, and 16.09 g Protein.
| Fried Goat Cheese Salad | Calories | Fats(g) | Carbs(g) | Fiber(g) | Net Carbs(g) | Protein(g) |
| 2 tablespoons poppy seeds | 92 | 7.31 | 4.95 | 3.4 | 1.55 | 3.17 |
| 2 tablespoons sesame seeds | 103 | 8.94 | 4.22 | 2.1 | 2.12 | 3.19 |
| 1 teaspoon onion flakes | 6 | 0.01 | 1.37 | 0.2 | 1.17 | 0.15 |
| 1 teaspoon garlic flakes | 10 | 0.02 | 2.25 | 0.3 | 1.95 | 0.51 |
| 4 ounces goat cheese | 299 | 23.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| 1 medium (119 g) red bell pepper | 37 | 0.36 | 7.18 | 2.5 | 4.68 | 1.18 |
| ½ cup sliced baby portobello mushrooms | 9 | 0.15 | 1.66 | 0.6 | 1.06 | 0.91 |
| 4 cups (80 g) arugula | 20 | 0.53 | 2.92 | 1.3 | 1.62 | 2.06 |
| 1 tablespoon avocado oil | 124 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 700 | 55.22 | 24.55 | 10.4 | 14.15 | 32.17 |
| Per Serving(/2) | 350 | 27.61 | 12.28 | 5.2 | 7.08 | 16.09 |
This makes 2 servings of Charred Veggie and Fried Goat Cheese Salad. Each serving comes out to be 350 Calories, 27.61 g Fat, 7.08 g Net Carbs, and 16.09 g Protein.
The Preparation
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon onion flakes
- 1 teaspoon garlic flakes
- 4 ounces goat cheese, cut into 4 ½ in thick medallions
- 1 medium red bell pepper, seeds removed, cut into 8 pieces
- ½ cup sliced baby portobello mushrooms
- 4 cups arugula, divided between two bowls
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
The Execution
- Combine the poppy and sesame seeds, onion, and garlic flakes in a small dish.
- Coat each piece of goat cheese on both sides. Plate and place in the refrigerator until you are ready to fry the cheese.
- Prepare a skillet with nonstick spray and heat to medium. Char the peppers and mushrooms on both sides, just until the pieces begin to darken and the pepper softens. Add to the bowls of arugula.
- Place the cold goat cheese in the skillet and fry on each side for about 30 seconds. This melts quickly so be gentle as you flip each piece!
- Add the cheese to the salad and drizzle with avocado oil. Serve warm!
